Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson to lead THE LITTLE MERMAID at Hollywood Bowl- Page 4

[BrightLights3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 9:24pm

disneybroadwayfan22 said: ...
Darren Criss-Yikes, and then meh. Like someone said, definitely the weak link here. I don't think it was his fault completely (Producers may have wanted him to do it), but he butchered "Her Voice." I see why he did the pop Drew Seeley version, but man this song stood out like a sore thumb with the musical theatre songs. Producers should have stuck with the Broadway version. 

 

It was on his request, at least according to this interview:  "After hearing the Broadway soundtrack, the 29-year-old asked the producers if he could re-envision the song to better fit his voice. "I don't have a big, Broadway voice, so I am making it a bit more pop-contemporary," says Criss, who will play the guitar and be backed by a full orchestra during the song. "That said, it's still going to be a challenge." 

http://www.people.com/article/little-mermaid-live-darren-criss-hollywood-bowl

[degrassifan]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 5:52am

I went on Friday and it was pretty amazing! For something that was so last minute, they did a great job putting it together. Of the performances, the best were obviously Tituss Burgess and Norm Lewis. The weakest link was Darren Criss. His version of "Her Voice" was disappointing. He also broke out of character before he performed. He said something like "I don't play the flute, but I do play the guitar." Why even say that? Just get on stage and perform your song. Rebel wasn't that great of a singer either, but her theatrics as Ursula was perfect! John Stamos was impressive, and the kid who played Flounder was adorable. The live orchestra was perfect! They did not miss a beat and were totally in sync with the film. The highlight was of course when Jodi Benson came out at the end and performed! It was beautiful. It was also great seeing Alan Menken, John Musker, and Ron Clements. The audience was also interactive. Overall, it was definitely worth the $70 I spent. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 9:08am

hork said: "Meh, I'm not seeing anything special about Rebel Wilson. Maybe if it were an amateur talent show I'd think, "Hey, she's pretty good."

Plus, Pat Carroll is incomparable."

I only saw the YouTube of this, so there may be something I wasn't privy to, but count me in with the folks who agree with you, especially regarding the 'amateur talent show' comment.

I think Rebel is always good when she plays "Rebel", but applying that comedic character to Ursula didn't fit. Even her entrance foretold that she was not aiming to play a 'smarmy villianess'.

Pat Carroll was, indeed incomparable. I think the biggest mistake made when live-casting the role (i.e., Sheree Renee Scott) is choosing an actress with a beautiful voice. If the actress playing the role doesn't have the vocal quality of Harvey Firestein, why would she covet Ariel's voice? (...with the advantage Carroll's singing had of being listenable, in spite of her rasp.)

Not to get too off-topic, but the other Disney villianess actor who played a similarly perfect 'smarm' was Geraldine Page in The Rescuers. I can still hear her saying, "Adopted? What makes you think anyone would want a homely little girl like you?"

Updated On: 6/6/16 at 09:08 AM

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 9:52am

So excited to see it tonight!!

 

Anyone try the stage door?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 5:19pm

ChildofEarth said: "hork said: "Did Darren Criss get a perm? "

No. He did not. Darren Criss has naturally curly hair. His hair was severely slicked back with tons of gel for his role on "Glee". 

 

[darreyl102]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 5:28pm

Rebel is no Pat Carroll, that's for sure. Her vocals were actually pretty weak for me- fine suited for a amateur production, but not full enough professionally